No, your eyes do not deceive you! It's a brand new chapter! I keep getting reviews and feedback on this story, which I am so grateful for! I also wanted everyone to know that no, I absolutely do not plan on abandoning this story. It's gone on for way too long and I've been way too invested in it to ever just drop it! Unfortunately, those same things can make it difficult to really sit down and focus on the writing. Fortunately, I am in the middle of transitioning jobs, and my original job has really quieted down and given me the opportunity to delve back into this chapter (which was already bordering on impossible for me to get done without all the distractions!)

Anyway, that's enough of my rant. You're all here for the new chapter, and I'm not going to make you wait any longer than I already have! Please enjoy!

LAST TIME: Michelle has a late night conversation with her father before her first battle. She goes in the next morning and defeats her opponent, making it to the Top 16. Her opponent in the next round, however, is revealed to be Clarisse.

Chapter 68: Not So Sweet 16

Michelle sat a table, a full lunch laid out in front of her. She had barely touched any of it, however, and was completely zoned out. Ash and Misty both glanced at their daughter before exchanging looks with one another.

"Michelle, sweetheart, are you okay?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, you've taken like two bites of your food," Ash added.

From next to Michelle, Aiden scoffed and reached over to snatch one of her fries. "If she doesn't want it, I'll take it!"

"Aiden!" Misty hissed.

"What?" Aiden whined. "I'm hungry! No point in wasting perfectly good food if she's not going to eat it."

"Amazing! Nidoqueen's incredible earth power attack nearly blew away Lopunny!"

Ash hummed and looked over his shoulder. A large flat screen TV was mounted to the wall, and was currently displaying the battle between Zella and Eryn.

"Oh, that's why you're so distracted!" Ash breathed, whipping his head back around and beaming at his daughter.

"I can't believe those two are the last battle in the Top 32," Aiden grumbled. "Why would you want to end an entire round with a sideshow act?"

Misty shot her son an unamused look. "Aiden, can't you behave for just five minutes?"

"I didn't do anything bad," Aiden calmly argued. "Those two are just crazy, that's all! It's the truth."

"They may be crazy, but they're pretty good coordinators," Brandon noted. "Their Pokémon are very well trained."

"And whichever one wins, I could be facing them if I manage to beat Clarisse," Michelle finally piped up, almost alarming everyone else at the table. They hadn't heard her voice in quite some time.

"Yeah, but that's a long way off," Ash replied. "One step at a time, right, princess?"

Michelle smiled softly and nodded her head. Even in the middle of the biggest competition of her life, she couldn't forget the lesson her father had taught her during her bad slump.

"Mommy! Daddy! Look what Grammy got me!"

Ash and Misty turned their heads just as Elizabeth came rushing towards them, excitedly holding out a plastic case containing five replica contest ribbons. Ash sighed and glanced up at Delia, who was trailing behind the excited little girl. "Mom…"

"Oh Ash, it's not like they were expensive!" Delia quickly countered. "Besides, Elizabeth saw them and right away, her whole face lit up! She just wants to be like Michelle is all."

"Aw!" Michelle crooned, beaming at her younger sister. "You really want to be like me, Lizzie?"

Elizabeth rapidly nodded her head. "Uh huh! I want to be a pretty coordinator just like you!"

Ash started to choke on the soda he'd just taken a sip of, while Misty's eyes bugged so wide they looked like they were about to fall out of her head.

"What?" Elizabeth chirped upon witnessing her parents' reactions.

Both immediately felt guilty for reacting the way they had, and quickly composed themselves.

"It's not a bad thing, Lizzie," Misty assured her young daughter. "It's very sweet that you want to be like your big sister! It's just…you've always talked about wanting to be a gym leader."

"I do!" Elizabeth chirped. "I want to do both!"

"Both?" Ash repeated.

Elizabeth beamed and nodded once again. "I'm gonna get badges and ribbons! Then I can be a top coordinator and a gym leader!"

Ash seemed highly impressed by his daughter's declaration. "Hey, that's great, Lizzie! You'll learn a whole lot that way!"

The young girl simply giggled in response (her way of agreeing) before turning around to set her eyes on the big screen TV. "Wow. Shelly, it's those girls you know!"

"Uh huh…" Michelle muttered, her own eyes trailing back up to the screen.

"I like Buneary," Elizabeth commented, pointing at the rabbit Pokémon who was currently charging forward with a dizzy punch attack. "Ooh, lookit!"

"I have to admit, it's pretty gutsy of Eryn to use her Buneary and Lopunny against Zella's Nidoqueen and Lapras," Aiden remarked, watching as Lapras countered Buneary's dizzy punch with a water pulse. "There's a pretty big size and weight difference between those Pokémon."

"True, but Eryn's trained both Buneary and Lopunny really well," Brandon countered.

Michelle slightly narrowed her eyes as Zella commanded Nidoqueen to use venoshock. Eryn, who appeared overwhelmed, scrambled to order her Pokémon to get out of the way, eventually calling for Lopunny to use ice beam and Buneary to help them both along with her bounce attack. The two rabbit Pokémon failed to complete the combination in time, however, and both were struck by deep purple gunk, which began to quickly drain them of their energy. Eryn seemed even more flustered thanks to this latest development, and as she stood in a daze, Zella called for Lapras to use body slam.

"This isn't gonna end well," Ash sighed, absentmindedly sticking a fry in his mouth as his eyes refused to leave the television screen.

Just as he'd predicted, Lapras was able to land its attack squarely on both Lopunny and Buneary, effectively finishing them off only seconds before the clock was due to run out.

"And that's it! The final coordinator moving on to the Top 16 is Zella!"

As the crowd roared, the TV suddenly switched off. Ash whipped around with a pout, which managed to transform into surprise once he saw who was responsible.

"Mom?" Ash muttered.

"I know this is a special occasion, but eating all this junk food while sitting in front of the television?" Delia asked tiredly, lowering the remote to her side.

"Junk food is good," Ash practically whined, picking up another French fry and taking a tepid bite.

"You should be focusing on smart, healthy choices that will help my granddaughter prepare for her battle this afternoon," Delia chastised.

Michelle managed to snap out of her trance again, this time in order to blush at her grandmother's fawning. Misty snickered, which earned unamused glances from both her older daughter and husband. "What?"

"You're literally sitting here eating all this with us," Ash reminded her, motioning towards the table full of less-than-healthy options.

"Yeah, but it wasn't my idea," Misty calmly argued. "I can't be blamed for this fiasco."

"Grammy, we were watching the last battle of the Top 36!" Aiden cried, jumping up from his seat. "It was between Zella and Eryn."

"Oh, right, Michelle's little friends!" Delia beamed.

"I wouldn't necessarily call them 'friends'," Michelle grumbled, shaking her head.

"It was so insane!" Aiden continued, shaking his clenched hands back and forth. "Which I guess makes sense because they're both pretty insane themselves."

"Aiden!" Misty groaned.

"Anyway, Eryn totally lost her cool at the end and had no idea what she was doing," Aiden excitedly rushed out. "So Zella got the best of her and won! Now we'll get to see more of the grouchy nut instead of the stalker nut."

Misty sighed and smacked her forehead. "I can't take you anywhere."

Michelle smirked and got to her feet. "Now that that's over, I should probably start getting ready for my next battle."

"Right, against your rival," Ash noted.

"Clarisse is a different rival than Zella and Eryn, though," Michelle added. "She's actually a friend. And she's a really great coordinator! I have to admit I'm a little nervous to be facing her. I'm excited, because I know it'll be a really awesome challenge! But I just can't shake my nerves."

"It's alright to be a little nervous before a big match," Misty assured her daughter. "It helps with the adrenaline, which helps get you pumped up! Just don't get too caught up in it."

"I'll try my best," Michelle promised, closing her hand in front of her chest.

XXX

"Welcome to the second round of this year's Grand Festival! We're down to the Top 16 coordinators who are ready to wow us with more of their amazing battle skills! Up first we have a great match up between Clarisse, who hails from Celadon City, and Michelle, from Cerulean City!"

The crowd cheered as the two young girls took their places on the battle field. Neither one seemed to pay any attention to the wild noise around them, both appearing locked into their own mental spaces.

"They're not going to let anything phase them," Misty breathed, switching her gaze between the two.

"That doesn't surprise me," Brandon commented. "Clarisse and Michelle both know how to buckle down and really focus when it comes to the big battles. Not to mention they were both really hoping they'd get to battle each other here. They won't allow themselves to be distracted at a time like this."

"Man, this battle is going to be so good!" Aiden crowed.

"I agree, but it's going to make me a little nervous," Delia replied. "I just want to see my precious granddaughter do well!"

"Michelle will be just fine," Ash assured his mother. "Her confidence has really grown! I think this is going to be really fun to watch."

"And no matter what happens, Michelle should be very proud of herself," Misty added. "Getting to the Top 16 in your very first Grand Festival is quite the accomplishment!"

Elizabeth grinned cheekily and threw one small fist up in the air as she yelled, "Go, Shelly!"

Down on stage, Clarisse had retrieved two of her poke balls, and tossed them up above her head. "Ninetails! Espeon! Time to shine!"

The capsule covered balls popped open, unleashing a stream of orange flames surrounded by swirling gold stars. The two effects converged right in front of Clarisse, bursting into a flurry of orange and gold glitter as Ninetails and Espeon appeared before her, both standing fully at attention and ready for battle.

Michelle showed off a small smile before letting it fade as she showed off her own poke balls. Michelle positioned her arms in an X shape in front of her chest, one sphere in each hand. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before releasing it as she opened her eyes and threw the poke balls towards the stage. "Pichu! Butterfree! Curtain call!"

Yellow lightning bolts crackled around swirling purple petals, creating an illusion that the petals themselves were lighting up. Butterfree came swooping through the enchanting display, Pichu standing on her toes on the bug type's back. With one strong flap of Butterfree's wings, the electricity and flower petals burst forward, disappearing into nothing more than a shower of sparkles.

"Oh, how beautiful!" Delia gushed. "I always love a good entrance!"

Ash laughed and shook his head. He knew full well Michelle could've just stood there and done absolutely nothing, and his mother would still say it was the greatest performance she'd ever seen. All because it was her beloved granddaughter, and anything that Michelle did was simply the best according to Delia. It was no different when it came to Aiden or Elizabeth, either.

"There's five minutes on the clock!" Lilian announced, dramatically throwing one arm up in the air. "Let the battle begin!"

"Ninetails, Espeon, both of you use quick attack, straight away!" Clarisse ordered.

The two Pokémon took off in a flash, taking long and quick strides that showed off their impressive frames. The audience marveled at how strong the Pokémon looked, but Michelle was not among them.

"Pichu, get on Butterfree's back," Michelle commanded. "And Butterfree, use gust to blow those two back!"

"Pi!" Pichu squeaked, leaping onto the back of the butterfly Pokémon. Once the small mouse was secure, Butterfree floated into the air, rapidly flapping her wings and creating a strong current of wind, barely visible by foggy white cuts in the air.

The gust struck Espeon and Ninetails rather quickly, but they were still managing to use their quick attack to get through it…for the first few seconds, at least. Both Pokémon soon began to struggle against the gust, which was proving to be just a bit stronger than their own speed. As a result, Clarisse's points on the board took a small hit.

"That's impressive," Brandon commented, nodding his head. "It just shows that Butterfree's wings are actually a little stronger than either Espeon or Ninetails' legs."

"Good, we've got them right where we want them," Michelle mused aloud. "Pichu, use charm!"

Pichu took a small hop in the air, blowing a kiss with her little paws. A flurry of pink hearts appeared, being carried quickly through the air thanks to the remaining gust. They struck Espeon and Ninetails before either one could react, and both were immediately put in a daze. More of Clarisse's points started to disappear.

This is no good, Clarisse thought to herself, furrowing her brow. Michelle's got the early lead. She's really on top of her game. But that doesn't mean the battle is going to stay that way! If I want to win, I have to get on her level.

"Butterfree, psybeam!" Michelle called.

"You too, Espeon!" Clarisse countered.

Butterfree's eyes turned purple as the colorful beam of energy emerged from them. Espeon, on the other hand, had managed to steady herself after the charm attack and fired off her own psybeam attack from the gem in the center of her forehead. Both psybeams were bright, and their intensity only strengthened under the bright lights of the contest hall. They struck one another at center stage, giving way to a decently sized explosion. Both attacks were of equal power, and as a result, Michelle and Clarisse lost an equal amount of points.

"They really are even in a lot of ways," Misty noted.

"It's a good matchup," Ash agreed. "Michelle has the upper hand right now, but you can tell Clarisse isn't going to give up so easily. Michelle has to keep her guard up and the attacks coming."

"Now, Ninetails, use sunny day!" Clarisse shouted.

The tips of Ninetails' tails began to glow gold, and the matching energy soon extended towards the windows that surrounded the contest hall. The sunlight pouring through the glass suddenly gained strength, to the point where it was practically rivaling the stage lights. The brighter sunlight emphasized Ninetails' thick and healthy coat, and actually gave her entire body a sparkling effect, like every strand of her fur was infused with flakes of pure gold. For this stunning display, Michelle was the one slowly losing points.

"Oh my, that sunny day really shows off Ninetails' beauty!" Lilian gushed. "Let's see if her power matches!"

"You don't have to worry about that," Clarisse assured her. "Ninetails, flamethrower!"

"Dodge it, you two!" Michelle urgently cried.

Unfortunately for Michelle, the use of sunny day had strengthened Ninetails' firepower. The flamethrower emerged fast and hard, and Pichu and Butterfree had no chance of escaping the attack. The extra strong, extra hot flames came at them in the blink of an eye, blowing both Pokémon back towards their trainer. Michelle gasped as she whipped her head towards the scoreboard. She was losing more points.

"Well, Michelle better come up with some kind of strategy," Aiden muttered. "Because Clarisse is coming back."

Michelle, however, was already one step ahead of her brother. "Alright. Butterfree, take Pichu on your back, fly around the stage, and use stun spore!"

"Free!"

The butterfly Pokémon scooped up the small mouse once again and flew high above Espeon and Ninetails in a circle, flapping its wings and creating a fine orange powder.

"That was really smart of Michelle!" Ash crowed, alarming everyone sitting with him.

"Why, Daddy?" Elizabeth squeaked.

"Instead of just aiming the attack at Espeon and Ninetails, where there's a strong possibility they could dodge it, Michelle made sure that Butterfree covered the entire stage with it," Ash explained. "So there's no way to escape from the stun spore!"

"And since Pichu is above Butterfree, on her back, she can't be hit with the stun spore," Misty added.

"Oh," Elizabeth breathed before giggling, "that was smart!"

The stun spore was swirling around like a large ribbon, coating Espeon and Ninetails who, just as Ash had explained, had nowhere to hide from it. The two were quickly rendered unable to move, horrifying Clarisse and giving Michelle a sense of relief now that she had a clear opening to land an attack.

"Pichu, thunderbolt!" Michelle ordered.

"Pi-chu!"

The baby mouse jumped in the air, unleashing as powerful of a thunderbolt as she could muster. Bright yellow electricity crackled around her body, shooting off in powerful bolts. The power from the attack brought extra light into the contest hall which, when combined with the already brighter sun from Ninetails' sunny day, made the brightness in the large space almost unbearable, but highly impressive. The audience, along with Michelle and Clarisse, shielded their eyes just as Pichu's attack struck the incapacitated duo down below. Both cried out in pain as the electricity coursed through their bodies until it finally stopped, leaving both Pokémon quite tired and a little bit charred. Pichu effortlessly landed back on Butterfree, who began to float down towards the stage as the overwhelming brightness in the hall started to clear.

"What a turn of events!" Lilian cried. "Michelle managed to paralyze both of Clarisse's Pokémon and used Pichu's thunderbolt to create a striking light display! Simply brilliant!"

Clarisse growled quietly. "We've got to try and shake off the paralysis. Espeon, try and use swift!"

The psychic type mewled and shook her head, trying to loosen herself up. After a few seconds, Espeon opened her mouth and managed to blast a flurry of flying stars towards Butterfree and Pichu.

"Dodge it!" Michelle yelped.

Butterfree flew to one side while Pichu jumped off her back to the other, causing the swift to go right between them. Though the attack had missed, Espeon was able to move her body again, and that was really what Clarisse had been aiming for.

"As if we needed any further proof that Clarisse's Pokémon are excellently trained and in the best shape," Brandon murmured. "Espeon got over the stun spore spell like it was nothing."

"But Ninetails still can't move from it," Misty added, nodding towards the fire type.

"I would say it won't be long until Ninetails gets over it as well," Ash sighed. "Brandon is right. Clarisse's Pokémon are in top form. Stun spore isn't going to be enough to keep either one of them down."

Clarisse grinned and threw her arm to the side. "Espeon, use confusion to pick up Ninetails!"

Audible gasps were heard as Espeon's eyes started to glow bright blue. That same color was soon illuminating Ninetails' body, and slowly the fire type was lifted off the ground and into mid-air. Michelle was completely stunned by the move, and had no idea what Clarisse was planning to do.

"Ninetails, try your flamethrower again!" Clarisse commanded.

The fox Pokémon squeezed her eyes shut and opened her mouth, hoping she'd be able to summon the attack. Fortunately for both her and Clarisse, Ninetails was successfully able to use flamethrower, which still had an extra boost to it thanks to the lasting sunny day.

"Get out of the way!" Michelle cried to her two Pokémon.

Butterfree and Pichu both squeaked and started to run towards the side of the stage in opposite directions in order to escape the attack.

"Not so fast! Espeon, spin Ninetails around!" Clarisse called.

Espeon tilted her head from side to side, sending Ninetails into a spinning frenzy. Both Butterfree and Pichu sped up their pace, but couldn't keep up with the speed of the rotation Espeon was able to create using her confusion. The flamethrower was now whipping around the entire stage, and neither Pichu nor Butterfree could escape from its path.

Michelle's eyes widened as she watched the scene unfold before her. "That looks just like-"

"Butterfree's stun spore attack from before," Clarisse replied from the other side of the stage. "I have to admit, that was a really smart strategy! It gave me the idea to use Espeon to control Ninetails, especially since she's still a bit stuck from that same stun spore."

Michelle grimaced and glanced over her shoulder. Her points on the scoreboard were dwindling away, this time far faster than before.

Clenching her fists, Michelle decided she needed to not become too overwhelmed by Clarisse's adaptation of her strategy. She'd have to strike back right away to show her Pokémon that they weren't about to lay down and accept defeat. "Butterfree, quick! Use bug buzz!"

Butterfree picked herself up from the stage, where she'd been trying to escape from Ninetails' flamethrower. Her wings were ever so slightly burned, but the bug type was still able to fly up in the air and emit a piercing shriek from her mouth, accompanied by an onslaught of bright red circles. It was enough to counteract Espeon's confusion, as the blue hue surrounding Ninetails quickly disappeared and sent the fire type to the floor, both she and Espeon crying out in pain.

"Hurry, get up!" Clarisse cried, starting to panic.

Michelle, however, was not about to let go of the momentum. Time was just about out, and she was ready to deliver the finishing blow. "Pichu, charge beam! Now!"

The small mouse's cheeks began to spark as she threw her small paws out in front of her, electricity building up into a crackling, bright yellow sphere. It kept on building and building, until it was larger than Pichu had ever made it before. Her silhouette was just visible behind the ball of electricity, a ghostly gray color with a jagged outline.

"Do it!" Michelle ordered.

"Pi-chu!"

Pichu thrust her arms forward, and a beam of powerful electricity burst from the sphere. The amount of power that had built up caused the beam to be even stronger than expected, which took Michelle by surprise. The effect was a sparkle and shine so bright that the charge beam itself looked nearly solid gold.

Nevertheless, it struck both Espeon and Ninetails, creating an aftershock that caused the entire audience to gasp. As soon as the electricity and the resulting smoke dissipated, a buzzing noise sounded, alerting Michelle and Clarisse.

"Time's up!" Lilian announced. "And the coordinator moving on to the next round is…"

Both coordinators quickly looked up at the scoreboard, as did everyone else in the stands. Although it was close, it was quite clear once everyone got a good look at the board who the victor was.

"Michelle!" Lilian concluded, her voice booming as the crowd began to cheer.

The red head blinked hard, still staring up at the scoreboard. "I…won?"

"Pichupi!"

"Freee!"

Michelle shook her head and turned it towards the stage, where Pichu and Butterfree were incoming. Pichu jumped up and pounced on her trainer's chest, while Butterfree calmly landed on her shoulder. Michelle looked between the two Pokémon before giggling, much to their delight.

"We won!" Michelle corrected herself, saying it in a much more confident tone than before.

Among the audience members who had just witnessed the battle, no one was happier than Michelle's own personal cheering section.

"Oh, I'm so happy for my precious grandbaby!" Delia crooned. "She's so talented!"

"They're both great coordinators, but Michelle was just able to get the upper hand," Brandon commented.

"Man, that was such a great battle!" Aiden crowed. "I'm so fired up right now!"

Elizabeth, meanwhile, was clapping her hands and jumping up and down. "Yay Shelly! Go Shelly!"

Ash and Misty, on the other hand, simply exchanged looks and smiled at one another.

Back on the stage, Clarisse had walked over to her Pokémon and was comfortingly petting them on their heads. "You both did really well. I'm so proud of you." Pulling out their poke balls, she held out the spheres and added, "time to get some well-deserved rest" before recalling the creatures. Standing back up to her full height, Clarisse approached Michelle and her Pokémon with a delicate smile on her face. Out of the corner of her eye, Michelle saw Clarisse approaching and turned towards her, ceasing her celebration.

"Clarisse-"

The red head was cut off, however, when the blonde jumped and wrapped her arms around her.

"Congratulations, Michelle!" Clarisse breathed before pulling away. "That was an amazing battle! Probably the best one I've ever had!"

The shock on Michelle's face slowly gave way to one of happiness. "Yeah, me too!"

"You're a great coordinator," Clarisse assured her rival, lowering her arms back down to her sides. "You have to try your best and win this whole competition!"

Michelle's eyes lit up. "That's the plan!"

"I'm going to stick around and watch the rest of the Grand Festival," Clarisse continued. "I'm cheering for you to make it to the finals!"

"Thanks, that really means a lot," Michelle murmured, her smile widening.

XXX

"Well, look who it is! A Top 8 coordinator!"

Michelle blinked as she let go of her now-loose hair, allowing it to fall behind her shoulders where Pichu was once again perched. Ash was walking towards her with a huge smile on face, and before Michelle could react, he grabbed her and ruffled the top of her hair.

"Dad, stop embarrassing me," Michelle moaned, her face turning red.

"Sorry, can't help myself,' Ash chuckled, letting go of the mortified girl.

"Michelle, that was some battle you just had!" Misty breathed. "I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! You and Clarisse are quite the impressive match up."

"Right?" Michelle giggled. "Clarisse is amazing!"

Aiden seemed surprised by Michelle's comment. "But…you beat her."

Brandon groaned and elbowed his best friend in the ribs, causing the younger boy to wince.

"I know," Michelle replied effortlessly. "But Clarisse is still a great coordinator. She makes me want to be better! I love being here at the Grand Festival, and I've been fired up this whole time, but that battle felt so much different. I was totally hyped up in a completely different way!"

"That's because not only is Clarisse an awesome coordinator, she's also an awesome rival," Ash added. "A good rival pushes you to always go above and beyond! You could tell all the way from the stands that's exactly what you and Clarisse do for each other."

"I promised her I'd do my best to win the whole thing," Michelle declared, tightening one of her hands into a fist. "I won't let her down! Or you guys, for that matter."

Delia giggled. "Oh, sweetheart, you could never let us down! We'll always be proud of you, no matter what."

"Grammy is right," Misty agreed. "We know how hard you've been working, and it shows. No matter what happens, we already think you're a Top Coordinator."

Michelle's blush quickly returned. "You guys are embarrassing me again!"

"It's alright, a little embarrassment never killed anybody," Misty snickered.

"Have you conducted your own personal study?" Michelle quipped.

"And that's that! Amanda has defeated Zella to move on to our Top 8!"

Misty, whose response to her daughter had been cut off by that sudden announcement, looked up towards one of the large, flat screen TVs handing from the ceiling. Everyone else in the group did as well, and Michelle's eyes widened.

"Whoa, Zella lost," Michelle breathed.

"Ah, so they finally weeded out all of the crazy," Aiden noted with a chuckle.

"Aiden…" Misty sighed.

Elizabeth stared at the screen before letting out a sharp, quick giggle, and a curt "bye!" followed by her sticking her tongue out at the TV.

"Elizabeth!" Misty gasped.

"What?" Elizabeth squeaked. "She's not nice!"

"She's also crazy," Aiden added.

"That doesn't give you the right to be mean," Misty reasoned with her younger daughter before glancing up at her son. "Or crazy."

"So it looks like Amanda is going to be your next opponent," Brandon commented, pointing at the bracket that had now been put up on the screen.

"Great!" Michelle cheered. "It's time to battle my way to the final round! I only have to get through two more battles…then, I'll get to the finals and win the whole thing!"

Michelle is one confident girl! Will she really make it to the finals? Hmm...

Thank you as always for your reviews and feedback on the story! I look forward to seeing everyone's thoughts on Michelle's biggest battle thus far!